Calendar and calculating device



July 5, 1966 D. A. sAMA ETAL 3,259,311

CALENDAR AND CALCULATING DEVICE Filed Feb. 11, 1964 INVENTORS' DOMINICK A. SAMA KENZI ETAM BY #W @Mm ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,259,311 CALENDAR AND CALCULATING DEVICE Dominick A. Sama, Martins Pond Road, Groton, Mass., and Kenzi Etani, 14 Hiroo-cho Azabu, Miniato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Filed Feb. 11, 1964, Ser. No. 343,978 1 Claim. (Cl. 23S- 78) This invention relates to manually ope-rated calculators Iand more particularly to a pocket calculator.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple pocket calculator which is adapted to serve several different purposes.

Another primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple Ipocket calculator which can function as a quasiperpetual calendar.

Still another primary object of the invention is to provide a simple pocket calculator which is compact, easy to use, and which is suiiiciently inexpensive to manufacture `as to have a market as a give-away item for advertising purposes.

A more specific object is to provide a pocket calculator comprising two relatively rotatable calculating members with simple yet dependable detent means for releasably locking one member in a selected angular position relative to the other member.

Other objects .and many of the .attendant features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent when reference is had to the following detailed specification which is to be considered together with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan View of a pocket calculator embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the calculator shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is `a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of 3,259,311 Patented July 5, 1966 ice disc members 4 and 6 may rotate relative to the base 2. The two discs 4 and 6 are made of iiexible sheet stocks. Preferably all three members are coated with a protective transparent plastic.

The base 2 is provided with imprinted indicia on both its upper surface 12 (FIG. 1) and also on its lower surculator; it is a quasi-perpetual calendar and also a slidef rule. FIG. 1 illustrates the perpetualcalendar and FIG. 2 illustrates the :slide-rule. As use-d herein the term quasi-perpetual calendar is a multi-year calendar covering a finite term of years. In the illustrated embodiment the calendar covers a range of 20 years commencing with 1962. As used herein the term slide-rule denotes an instrument consisting of a circular ruler with a relatively rotatable medial slide, the ruler and slide being graduated with related scales which considered together perform predetermined mathematical functions, such as multiplication and division. The scales may be strictly numerical scales or they may be designated in terms of specilic units, e.|g., units of length such as feet, lunits .of consumption such as gallons per mile, .or units of work such face 14 (FIG. 2). Partly for ease of printing and partly for another reason described hereinafter, the base member may be in 4the Iform of a laminate, comprising two distinct members 2A and 2B which .are printed separately and then secured together by a suitable adhesive to form a composite base. This arrangement reduces the cost of manufacture.

The upper surface 12 of Ithe calculator is provided with two circular bands of indicia 18 and 20 concentric with unit member 8. Band 18 is disposed on a greater radius than band 20. The band of indicia 18 consists of abbreviations for the seven days of the week, while the band of indicia 20 consists of numerals indicating successive years. Although not visible in the drawings, -it is to be understood th-at both bands of indicia 18 and 20 encompass 360 and are subdivided into 28 increments or positions. Thus although not completely `illustrated it is to be understood that the abbreviations for the seven days of the week are repeated `four times in band 18. Similarly, although not visible, it is to be understood that the bland 20 contains numerals starting with the number 62 indicative of the year 1962 and continues through the number 83 representative of the year 1983. Since the numbers "62 through 83 occupy only twenty-twol positions, band 20 has six spaces where no numerals appear. -Instead a star is presented in each of the six positions. These stars have no significance except to indicate that there is no number value for that position. To facilitate reaching the `designations thereon, the bands 18 yand 20 are provided with a series of radial lines 22 land 24.

The disc 4 is provided -with two arcuate slots 126 and 28 positioned at different radii corresponding to .the radii of the bands 18 and 2t). As a consequence slots 26 and 28 function as windows through which the user may read the indicia of bands 18 and 20 respectively. Each of the slots '26 and 28 extend through an angle just sutlicient to reveal seven ditiierent positions lor increments of the bands 18 and 20. Thus in FIG. 1 the disc 4 reveals through slo-t 26 seven successive days beginning with Sunday and ending with Saturday (reading from left to right), while the slot 28 reveals, reading from right to left, the numbers 6l to 67 (with a blank space between the numbers 63 and 64) representing the six years 1962 to 1967.

The disc 4 also is provided with two arrays of indicia, identified generally at 30 and 32. The array 30 consists of the number l to 3l arranged in seven groups as shown. The central group of numbers (including the numbers 4, 11, 18 and 25) extend along a radius of the disc 4. The other groups of numbers are parallel with the center group. The other array of indicia 32 contains designations for the different months of the year arranged in seven groups as shown. The designation for the months of January and February are repeated twice, but one each of these designations is shaded to indicate leap year. The other months occur only once. The central group (including the months of March, February and November) is in radial alignment with the central group of the array 30. The other groups are .aligned with the other groups of array 30.

The seven groups of indicia 'in the arrays 30 and 32 are spaced so as to be in registration with seven successive positions of the bands of indicia 18 and 20 respectively. To facilitate correlation between the indicia bands 18 and 20 and the indicia arrays 30 and 32, the groups of the latter are demarcated by printed lines 36 and 38 respectively. These lines are arranged so that when the disc 4 is positioned in any one of twenty-eight predetermined positions, the lines 36 will be in registration with the lines 22 separating the designations for the days of the week in the band of indicia 18, while the lines 38 will be in registration with the lines 24 separating the designations for years in the band of indicia 20.

In any position the disc 4 provides a multi-year calendar-good for any of the years indicated through the slot 24. The device is used by determining the month `and year of interest and positioning the disc 4 so that said month in array 32 coincides with said year in band 20. With the disc so positioned, the band of indicia 18 `and the array of indicia then provide the correct calendar arrangement for the month in question.

Thus if it were desired to determine the calendar arrangement for March 1964, the disc 4 would be positioned so that the March designation on the disc would be aligned with the 64 designation on band 20, the exact position shown in FIG. 1. With the disc 4 so positioned it is apparent that the month of March 1964 begins on a Sunday and (since March has 31 days) ends on a Tuesday. If the user were interested in the month of February 1964, the disc 4 could not be left as is since 1964 is a leap year. Instead disc 4 would have to be rotated counter clockwise one position so as to place the shaded February designation in registration with the designation 64. As a reminder of leap year, the 64 designation is shaded as are all other designations for every fourth year preceding and succeeding 1964.

It is recognized that for ready reference the user usually will desire to have the disc 4 maintained in a selected calendar position until a particular month has expired, at which point it will be moved to a new setting. Accordingly detent means are provided for locking disc 4 in a selected position, e.g., the position of FIG. 1. The detent means comprises a stop member in the forrn of a pin 42 which is afiixed to the base 2 and twenty-eight arcuate scallops 44 provided `on the edge or periphery of the disc 4. The pin 42 may be secured to the base in lthe manner shown in FIG. 3. The pin 42 extends through a hole in the laminate 2A of the base member 2 and has an enlarged head 46 which is positioned in a counterbore formed on the underside of the laminate 2A. The head 46 is held captive in the counterbore by the second laminate 2B. The end of pin 42 terminates substantially ush with the top surface of disc 4, as seen in FIG. 3.

Stop pin 42 has a radius substantially identical to the radius of curvature of the scallops 44 and is located so as to nest in one of said scallops (as shown in FIG. 1) when the base 2 is unflexed. As a result the disc will be locked against rotation by stop pin 42. It can be unlocked by exing the base 2. If the base is flexed by applying forces according to the vertical arrows shown in FIG. 4, the stop pin will move away from the edge of disc 4 a distance sufficient to permit rotation of the disc. The extent to which the base 2 must be exed in order to unlock the detent means is not great and is readily yaccomplished by the user. The scallops 44 are arranged so las to lock the disc 4 in twenty-eight evenly spaced positions, each position being characterized by registration of the lines 36 and 38 of the arrays 30 and 32 with the lines 26 and 28 of the bands 18 and 20 respectively.

The disc 6 has indicia which cooperates with additional indicia on the underside 14 of the base 2 to form a calculating slide-rule. In the illustrated embodiment the underside 14 of `the base 2 has two groups of indicia identified generally at 50 and 52, the indicia 50 being disposed in a circular band having a. radius of curvature substantially the same as that of an arcuate slot 54 formed in the disc 6. The slot 54 functions as a window permitting the user to read the indicia 50. The indicia 50 have spacing and values according to a predetermined mathematical function. The indicia 52 also are disposed in a circular band on a larger radius of curvature than the indicia 50. The indicia S2 have spacing and values according to a second mathematical function. The disc 6 has a circular band of indicia 56 having an angular spacing and Value according to a third mathematical function. Disc 6 also has an arrow 60 which facilitates use of the slide rule. The band of indici-a 52 is so disposed with respect to the band of indicia 50 -that when any number in the band of indicia 56 is aligned with a number in the band of indicia 52, the arrow 60 will point to a number in the band of indicia 50 which is the resulting quotient when the number in the band 52 is divided by the number in the band 56. Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, if the disc 6 is positioned so that the number 5 of the band of indicia 56 is aligned with the number 30 of the band of indicia 52, the arrow 60 will point to the number 6 of the band of indicia 50.

It is to be observed that the disc 6 is free to rotate and is not affected in any way by the detent means for the calendar. Thus the slide rule may be used without disturbing the calendar setting. The slide rule indicia may be free of accompanying legend as in the illustrated embodiment or, if desired, the indicia may be provided with appropriate legend for a particular purpose. For example, if the calculator is designed to permit computation of automobile fuel consumption, the band of indicia 52 could be designated lin terms of miles while the band of indicia 56 could be designated in terms of gallons. In such a case the band of indicia 50 would be designated in terms of miles per gallon. Naturally the sliderule is not limited to use as a fuel consumption calculator and its indicia may be designated in terms of other units, such as feet, time, pressure, etc.

For convenience of use, the base member 2 is made with an aperture 60, preferably including a rivet 62, whereby the device may be secured to a chain such as a chain 64 attached to a conventional jewelry connecting ring 66 (shown in phantom in FIG. 1).

Obviously, many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the foregoing teachings. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts specifically described or illustrated, and that within the scope of the appended claim, it may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described or illustrated.

We claim:

A device comprising:

a substantially egg-shaped slightly-flexible base formed of at least two laminations of plastic sheet stock,

a first plastic disc,

pivot means rotatably securing said first disc to said base, said base and first dise being formed with cooperating imprinted indicia spaced at substantially uniform and regular angular intervals about said pivot means in the region in which the respective indicia are in cooperating relationship, said cooperating imprinted indicia forming a multi-year calendar,

detent means for retaining said rst disc in said cooperative angular relationship, said detent means comprising,

a plurality of radially concave arcuate scallops about the circumference of said first disc, the angular width of said scallops being equal to the angular separation of indicia on said base in the region of said cooperation, and

a cylindrical stop sized to mate with one of said scallops and secured to and extending outwardly and upwardly from an end of said base for a distance sufficient to mate with one of said scallops, said stop having an enlarged head positioned in a counterbore formed von the underside of one of said -laminations and held captive in said counterbore by the other of said lamnations, said detent means being arranged whereby flexing of said end of said base without flexing of said iirst disc releases said first disc from said stop for rotation relative to said base and wherbey unfiexing of said end of said base with reference to said rst locks with first disc relative to said base in a manner which permits cooperative reading of said indicia, and

a second plastic disc rotatably secured to said base ony the side opposite to said first disc by said pivot means, said second disc and said opposite side having indicia thereon cooperating to form a calculating slide rule, whereby said second disc is rotatable with respect to said base while said detent means hold said rst disc stationary with respect to said base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain. Great Britain. Italy. Italy. Italy.

LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner.

LEO SMILOW, Examiner. T. J. ANDERSON, Assi-mmf Examiner. 

